Validating our never-ending quest to shrink our carbon footprint here at Sprint, we have successfully moved up the “green power” ladder, jumping several rungs over the past year, among the largest American companies.

This year, Sprint came in at number 13, half a dozen spots higher than in 2011, on the EPA’s Fortune 500 Green Power Partner rankings. Thanks to our emphasis on purchasing renewable power, coupled with a drive to maximize energy efficiency, we are one of the greenest of the big corporations, and proud of it. You can check our recent announcement here.

In addition, we came in at number 26 on the related National Top 50 list, which highlights the largest purchasers of green power. And we are the only wireless carrier on that Top 50 list.

If the standings don’t impress you, maybe this will: Sprint has secured more than 170 million kilowatt hours of green power, which is roughly two times the annual usage of our 300-acre headquarters campus. Company-wide, that represents about five percent of total electricity use.

What it also represents is an annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to the more than 250,000 barrels of oil that would be used by 24,000 passenger vehicles or the electricity used by 15,000 average American homes..

The latest Sprint green energy initiative involved purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) from 3Degrees. These represent the environmental benefits created when electricity is generated from renewable sources such as wind or solar. The RECs purchased include a mix of wind RECs from the Blue Canyon II wind farm in Oklahoma, solar arrays at schools in California and Oregon, new wind projects across the United States, and RECs from a blend of U.S. renewable energy types and projects. Investing in RECs is a great way to stimulate continued growth in the U.S. renewable energy market and ensure we do our part to reduce the impacts of climate change.

For more information on Sprint’s environment-saving efforts and commitment to renewable energy solutions, click here or here, and you’re welcome to follow @SprintGreenNews on Twitter.